Golfers do dumb things

[DirtCheap]

No. A squirrels life is worth more because they don't move into houses in platoons.

LOL.. point taken and I agree.. I consider them home invaders and I treat them as such.

Hawks aren't food and killing animals just for the heck of it makes a person a f###head in my book.

Now THAT is a fair statement..

I agree Mr. Vick is a f###head.

[DirtCheap]

Forgive my ignorance; Who is the guy in your post mikelz?

It took me a minute too..

I had to look at the file name to figure it out.. That would be Michael Vick. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Vick He is the worst kind of f###head.. If you're into that sort of thing and can handle a bit of engrish, Try this.. http://www.japanesebugfights.com/

[Redwood_75]

You see, either I'm just weird, but even that Japanese bug fighting doesn't sit right with me. I know they are only bugs, and that things like this probably happen every day in the wild, but to actually film it for entertainment seems wrong. But then again, the Japanese are a tad different!!

The Tripp thing is one of those things.

Do I think he was intentionally trying to hit the bird - no, I don't think he was.

Do I think that if you hit 10,15,20 balls towards an animal on purpose you have to put up with the consequences if you hit it - yes I do, and because of that he deserves everything he gets.

It was stupid and juvneile, but I expect he regrets it now, both becasue he actualy did hit the bird, and as a consequence it died, but more so because of the media attention it is getting now.

[ganjagolfer]

if trip is truly remoseful as he said he is, he will go to court, say he is guilty and voluntary want to do the 15 months in jail and pay the 1500$ fine, all else is just trying to squirm his way out of taking responsibility

[ganjagolfer]

Do I think he was intentionally trying to hit the bird - no, I don't think he was.

he was aiming for the bird, of course he was trying to hit it, maybe he didn't think he could hit it but he was trying to hit it

maybe he can say he didn't expect upon hitting the bird that it would die but everyone knows, especially a professional golfer that the flight speed of a golf ball packs a punch

[DirtCheap]

You see, either I'm just weird, but even that Japanese bug fighting doesn't sit right with me. I know they are only bugs, and that things like this probably happen every day in the wild, but to actually film it for entertainment seems wrong. But then again, the Japanese are a tad different!!

I agree.. In most of those "fights" the loser was more interested in getting out of the box then in fighting. That should tell you that something wasn't quite right about it.

[Redwood_75]

he was aiming for the bird, of course he was trying to hit it, maybe he didn't think he could hit it but he was trying to hit it

The only person who really knows whether he trying to hit the bird or merely trying to scare the thing off is Tripp.

The rest of our comments are purely opinon based.

[DirtCheap]

if trip is truly remoseful as he said he is, he will go to court, say he is guilty and voluntary want to do the 15 months in jail and pay the 1500$ fine, all else is just trying to squirm his way out of taking responsibility

Give him a 1,500 fine per ball he hit at the bird.. (20 balls is $30,000 right?)

Make him do some community service that involves the rescuing of endangered animals. The bad press and loss of future endorsements he will get from it is punishment enough.

[ganjagolfer]

The only person who really knows whether he trying to hit the bird or merely trying to scare the thing off is Tripp.

even if he was just trying to scare the birds off, he's guilty, its like trying to scare someone away by shooting a gun in their direction a bigger point is even if he was only trying to scare the bird away, what gave him such eminent domain over the area he was in to give him the right to scare the bird away and i just don't see how the bird was disrupting the documentary? like i said earlier, seems to me like having the bird around could increase the flavor of the shoot

[crawf061]

Question: There is a Canadian Geese walking right in front of the green that you are about to hit at. Rather than spend 10 minutes going up to the green and scaring the bird off, you go ahead and hit your ball. The shot is skulled and hits the bird, killing it. Are you in the same boat as Tripp?

Sure, you were not trying to hit the bird, but you knew the bird was in the vicinity of where you were going to hit the ball.

[ganjagolfer]

Give him a 1,500 fine per ball he hit at the bird.. (20 balls is $30,000 right?)

money as a punishment means nothing if you have lots of it agree, the bad press will be the biggest punishment what to speak of eco-activists going out of their way to make some noise or comment in his back-swing but still, we send folks to jail for all types of stupid things and even kill them all because they can't afford adequate legal representation, bias of society, unjust laws, etcetera, excedrin thinks its fair he does some time and he be released when he is deemed by a parole board to no longer be a threat to wildlife and the community service will have to be his own initiative else his career is a cooked goose cuz folks are going to want to see some redemption if he wants it quiet when he's trying to hit a ball

[Redwood_75]

even if he was just trying to scare the birds off, he's guilty, its like trying to scare someone away by shooting a gun in their direction

I agree with your first point, hence my response on having to accept the consequences if you hit toward an animal, regardless of whether you were trying to hit it or not.

[ArjunGFX]

As a golfer and bird lover... I find his actions just sad and digusting. It's almost like he consciously killed one of the things that makes golf beautiful. I hope he gets serious action taken against him.

[mikelz]

Wow some of you all are wierd.

If you think a hawk is that small, you have never been within 10 feet of one.

[mikelz]

Forgive my ignorance; Who is the guy in your post mikelz?

DirtCheap got it right. Mike Vick.

[ganjagolfer]

the idea here is minimalizing of any life and discounting its dignity and honor

this minimalizing done to others does not escape us who cast a gray pall upon nature's splendor

"Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
Chief Seattle, 1854.

[ganjagolfer]

Question: There is a Canadian Geese walking right in front of the green that you are about to hit at. Rather than spend 10 minutes going up to the green and scaring the bird off, you go ahead and hit your ball. The shot is skulled and hits the bird, killing it. Are you in the same boat as Tripp?

i was feeling pretty good before i was to hit that shot and think i would of dropped my wedge 6' past the cup and drew it back to a foot. i would just pick my ball up and place it 1 foot away see if i could make the putt

[Shindig]

Shindig, I respect your attempts to give Isenhour the benefit of the doubt, but you don't really expect him to admit guilt, do you? With misdemeanor charges brought against him and his reputation at stake? This is just spin control. It doesn't add up that if the bird hadn't been scared off by the 9th shot, he'd think the 10th would have any different effect - *unless* his intent was to hit it. His attempts to convince us otherwise are contradicted by the statements made by witnesses.

Actually, if he were guilty, I *would* expect him to admit guilt. To be an accomplished golfer on the level that one can reach the PGA Tour - regardless of placing in the order of merit once there - requires a level of honesty. It's the same reason we don't have referees in every bunker.

Meanwhile, we have one witness speaking to the press: the guy who reported him, unless I've missed an article. It is possible that I am giving him too much benefit of the doubt. I agree that deliberately hitting at the bird in this situation was stupid and irresponsible. As for Leadbetter, he is an expert in the golf swing, and if jail time were to be threatened, you can be sure that experts - some subset of {Leadbetter, Harmon, Flick, etc} would be called to testify about the likelihood of hitting the bird. As for family, Tripp is the head of his family. If he were a teenager and his mom adopted cats, it would be irrelevant.

I think its sad to assume that because it isn't owned and therefore wild that it isn't important. it's attitudes such as this that have led to tigers whale etc becoming nigh on extinct.

It has nothing to do with ownership of the bird. There are wild animals that are important. If he had killed a wild spotted owl, it would be different.

even if he was just trying to scare the birds off, he's guilty, its like trying to scare someone away by shooting a gun in their direction

Warning shots don't carry the death penalty.

a bigger point is even if he was only trying to scare the bird away, what gave him such eminent domain over the area he was in to give him the right to scare the bird away

The motivation for scaring the bird off in the first place was that it was interfering with the shoot.

but still, we send folks to jail for all types of stupid things and even kill them all because they can't afford adequate legal representation, bias of society, unjust laws, etcetera, excedrin

We "kill them because they can't afford adequate legal representation." No, we kill people because they kill other people. That's how the death penalty works. It has nothing to do with how much money the person has.

The justice system isn't perfect, but the death penalty isn't a case of money or bias. And if you're advocating for death penalty on killing a damn bird, I hope you don't consider it unjust in cases where a human is killed?

thinks its fair he does some time and he be released when he is deemed by a parole board to no longer be a threat to wildlife

If I'm attending a professional tournament and he's playing and someone deliberately interrupts his backswing - or that of any other player - I'll take that person to security myself.